


Time Swap

by ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret



Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-01-23 09:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18546892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret/pseuds/ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret
Summary: Time shenanigans and stress all around!





	1. Upside Down and Inside Out

With every step, snow filled the space between the bottoms of his feet and his slippers.If he could feel cold, it would probably bother him, but a lack of skin did wonders on your perception of temperature.Regardless, he kept his hands neatly tucked into the pockets of his hoodie.

He’d technically just started his shift a little over an hour ago, but being a sentry here didn’t mean an awful lot these days.Besides, it seemed like a nice day for a walk.Normally, a nap would suffice, even if it did mean another chewing out from his brother.If he caught him, anyway.However, he’d recently discovered something new, something interesting.Or rather, some _one._

The trip was only about 30 minutes, to and from an hour, and another hour to talk, he knew he’d be back before his brother looped back past his ‘Sentry Station’.He even felt a little giddy.He was growing quite fond of the ‘mysterious’ woman who lived in the ruins.One of the few people to appreciate his  humerus jokes.And he couldn’t deny that it felt good to have a reprieve from the... _repetition_ of his day to day life.

For as much as he loved his brother, he could be a tad overbearing sometimes.Granted, he wouldn’t change a thing about that.But besides Papyrus, he didn’t really have any other friends, or people he felt genuinely at ease around.  Except for her, now.

His neutral expression just so happened to be a smile, but he could feel one with purpose replacing it.With the ruins in his sights, he felt a strange sort of relief well in his chest cavity. 

  What, did he think it’d just up and disappear in the week since his last visit?

  Shaking off the uncalled for nerves, he approached the large structure, outstretching one hand to knock gently on the door he’d never payed much mind to before in his life.There was a silence, longer than usual, reinvigorating his anxiety.With a second knock-

“What do you get when you combine a rhetorical question and a joke?”

Sighing gratefully, he hadn’t quite processed the joke until just before he thought to reply, startling himself with a laugh as he realized what she’d asked him.

“It’s nice to hear from you again.”Her voice was slightly more quiet that time, but it sounded sincere.

Turning to rest his back against the door before he slid to the ground, he considered it to be his turn.

“what did the fish say when it swam into a wall?”

Only letting anticipation build for a second-

“dam.”

A flutter of laughter sounded off behind him, warming him to his core.A warmth he didn’t feel too often these days.

 

* * *

 

The next two hours were a dream.After spending close to the entire first hour on bad jokes alone, they eventually talked a little about his brother, and about life in the underground, and about bad recipes (it took a lot not to mention Papyrus’ spaghetti).As he walked away, his feet felt lighter, in spite of the snow still weighing them down.

His distracting reminiscence guided him as he followed the path back.

He’d only made it about halfway before an overwhelming feeling washed over him.Something powerful.Like the world flickered.He stopped.Not a reset, or a reload.He didn’t know what it was.He didn’t see the void, either, but it was definitely  _something_.

Looking down at his hands and feet, he was all in one piece.The snow on the ground remained pristine, minus the nearly covered tracks from earlier and fresh ones behind him.Nothing stirred, nothing changed.  So _what_ _happened_?

Uneasiness crept over him, weighting his steps when he needed to be on his toes.He suddenly wanted to run, to tear back to his station and find Papyrus, find everything just how he left it.But he remained cautious, continuing with hesitation.His magic toyed with the palms of his hands, nerves getting the better of him.  Step by step he felt his pace becoming rhythmic, falling back in place.

Another few minutes passed in peace.Until he heard it.Crying.Someone nearby was crying.

  _oh shit, is that a kid?_

Panic flaring, his eyes darted around frantically, trying to pinpoint the noise, the magic in his left eye giving away his worry.Pinpointing the source of the sobs, he blinked it away, he didn’t wanna go and psychologically scar the kid.

Teleporting swiftly to the edge of a nearby break in the trees, sure enough, he found a small monster, sat out in the open, crying (weeping) with abandon.Something about the scene was nagging him, picking at the back of his mind, telling him this wasn’t right, _but_ _ it’s just a kid_ .Could’ve run all the way from Snowdin and gotten lost.They were obviously upset, maybe they were afraid.

Making each step a conscious effort,he realized about two yards from the child what was off.A shiver passed through his body as he stopped in his tracks.

_what the fuck?_

 

* * *

 Pacing around the front porch of their home, the skeleton could feel the frozen ground under his feet.He’d worn a track through the snow in the time since his brother had run off.Metaphorical stomach churning, he was at a genuine loss for what to do.They’d fought before, as brothers do, but the younger skeleton rarely made such a show out of it, at least as far as running into the woods goes.

Despite not knowing what brought on the outburst, the words stuck in his mind. _why would he ever think that?_ Who would put such a thing into the mind of such a gentle natured, honest ,  trusting monster like Papyrus?Because he sincerely doubted he had come to that conclusion on his own.

And yet.The words rattled around his skull, interrupting his desperate attempts to make a plan and follow through.If he needed the space, chasing him would only make him feel trapped.If he wanted reassurance, leaving him alone would only reaffirm his doubts.

He hadn’t realized he’d broken the pen in his hand until he moved to rub his eyes sockets and was stopped by ink-covered shards of plastic.

_damn it._

In a moment of self indulgence, he started running.Headlong to the bridge, from the bridge to the trees.He didn’t care what Papyrus wanted. _He_ wanted to hold him, remind him, convince him he was wrong.

After about 20 minutes of sprinting, he slowed to a stop and hunched over his knees.His brother’s footprints had been completely masked under a new blanket of snow, and running like a fool most likely wouldn’t find him any faster.

Taking in a few deep breaths, he straightened back up.He only had time to take one step before a surge of feeling washed over him.

Something happened.He felt his soul energy skip a beat.It was like the world flickered.Worry jostled him out of it quickly enough.He needed to find his brother  _now_.

He couldn’t figure out what had happened yet, nothing seemed wrong, it didn’t feel wrong.Not like the visions, or the nightmares...but it still felt off.

Shuffling quickly through the trees and the snow, a flash of movement finally caught his eye.But, much to his surprise, it was not his brother.Perhaps a Guardsman out on a parole?He hadn’t caught a very good glimpse of the tall monster, but he hadn’t recognized them.That didn’t matter now, though, there was a chance he’d seen his brother somewhere out here.

  Halving the distance with a few bounds, an uneasiness washed over him.Holding up in the trees beside the path, he watch him.The monster was taller than he’d initially thought, but that wasn’t the most intimidating thing about him.

While he was facing the other direction, and moving quite quickly, he was, unmistakably, a skeleton.

  _t_ _hat’s...that’s not possible._

A brisk flash of partial memories distorted his senses.Holes, hands, cracks, darkness.Darkness.

Colliding with the snowy ground, he realized in a fit of panic, he’d thrown himself out from behind one of the trees and tripped.While the snow served as a good buffer, there was no mistaking how loud he had been.

  Horror grappled at him, strangling him as he scrambled to push himself up.   As he had feared, the monster had heard him and turned around, but as he stumbled backwards, brushing the snow from his face, something far more confusing than he’d expected met his eyes as he finally found the others’ face.

“SANS?”


	2. Is It Amnesia Or Just A Fever Dream?

_that voice..._

_it can’t be..._

He wanted to turn and run, or simply disappear, but something froze him to the spot.The tall skeleton wearing very odd armor soldiered over to him confidently, seemingly oblivious of the absolute disbelief wracking the other.

“SANS!!WHAT ARE YOU DOING ALL THE WAY OUT HERE?”Without giving him even a second to answer, he continued, “WHY AREN’T YOU AT YOUR STATION?WHAT IF A HUMAN FELL AND SLIPPED RIGHT THROUGH WITHOUT EVEN SO MUCH AS ONE PUZZLE TO CHALLENGE THEM?”

The voice was familiar,  but the words sounded so alien.What the hell was he talking about?

“I SWEAR, SANS, I DO NOT UNDER-WAIT.DID YOU CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES???DID YOU GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE HOUSE BEFORE YOU CAME OUT HERE??? WH-

“p-papyrus?”The name came out so much more quiet than he meant for it to, but it penetrated the barrage of words, nonetheless.

His fussy scowl dissipated into confusion in an instant.

“YES?”

He didn’t realize he’d started shaking, but the other skeleton noticed immediately.

“SANS, WHATEVER IS THE MATTER?ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT?DID YOU SEE A HUMAN??”

Ignoring the obvious excitement behind the last question, he pulled up the monster’s stats.

_ ‘Papyrus’ _

_‘Worried about you.’_

He let himself take a step back as his eyes drifted back down to his two hands.

What in the actual hell was going on?

A shadow overtook him as the other skeleton came closer, taking his much smaller hands into his oversized gloves before he could pull away.

“BROTHER.WHAT IS WRONG.”Hunching slightly, he looked intently into the other’s eyes, concern practically written on his face.

“what uh...what year is it?”

He seemed taken aback by the question for a second, before a large, knowing grin emerged on his face as he stood tall again.

“BROTHER, IT’S GOING TO BE MUCH HARDER TO PULL SUCH A SILLY PRANK ON AN INDIVIDUAL SUCH AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!NYEH HEH HEH!!”

Yep that was definitely him.

“bro, I’m not jokin’ around here.something’s...” the edges of his mouth curled into a tight smile, “somethin’s not right.”

Papyrus’ smile only faltered for a second before he threw a hand onto his brother’s shoulder.

“I CAN QUITE ASSURE YOU THAT EVERYTHING IS IN THE TIPPEST OF TOP SHAPE!!!BUT...” he placed his free hand on his chin, carefully choosing his next statement, “NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, SOMETHING RATHER PECULIAR DID HAPPEN A BRIEF MOMENT AGO.”

There it was.

“like...what kinda thing?” He could only shift onto his heels so as not to pull away, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.

“WELL, I’M NOT QUITE SURE!!BUT IT WAS MOST CERTAINLY WEIRD!!!”

He had to think of something, anything, to give him an excuse to go.Not just the intense weird factor of finding his kid brother that he still had to help with the lace on his boots he’d seen only an hour ago now a full grown adult, apparently working for the Royal Guard no less, but he needed to figure out exactly what had happened.  Or worse - was happening.

“BROTHER?”

“oh, heh, yeah, i noticed that, too.”This was, without a doubt, Papyrus, but it was so surreal...He stood before him now, both hands steadily resting on his hip bones, with a determined grin stretched across his face, scarf billowing out behind him.He looked...super cool.He felt an awkward smile find it’s way into his face.If this was, as he expected, some freaky time bs, that would make this Papyrus from the future,  their future, and if that was true...it would mean that he didn’t totally and completely screw him up after all...

“SANS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

He’d been staring.

“yeah, heh,” his hand found the back of his head as he looked back into the trees, “i’m actually gunna...head back to the house.”

“SANS-!”

“i-i know, i’m just not, just not feelin’ too  _hot_ right now.”He emptied the snow that had gotten into the pocket of his cargo shorts after his little stunt, evoking a deep groan of disapproval from his brother.

“FINE.WHATEVER GETS THOSE JOKES AWAY FROM ME!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle as he turned his back on his brother and headed back down the path with as much nonchalantness as he could muster.He could feel eyes on the back of his head for only a moment before the soft crunch of snow confirmed the other had continued moving, too.Waiting a few more minutes to check, the skeleton was out of sight.And with that, he broke into a run headed straight for their home.

 

* * *

 

  _no...._

The painfully familiar worn, blue winter coat paired with a red scarf covered the majority of the monster’s body, but aside from being instinctively recognizable already, the back of their head was the determining factor. 

It felt like he couldn’t breathe.No actions, no words, his mind was blank.He was afraid and confused, but...he couldn’t move.Something was very, very wrong.

Starting with a slow, careful step backwards, his foot managed to find a twig that had been exposed from his previous step.The snap was way louder than it should have been.

The weeping monster before him froze, only the un-deterrable hiccups continuing with a few sniffs as they straightened up, craning their neck to find whoever had approached them.

It was like being caught in a memory.He felt his weight shifting backwards, too quickly to realize he was falling until he hit the ground.

The child, the  _skeleton_ , stood up to properly face the other.Tears still stained their face, blurring the corners of their eye sockets, and the hiccups that wouldn’t stop.As a matter of fact, they seemed to be getting worked back up.He couldn’t move again, held in place by those sad, sweet eyes.It felt like a trap.

They became uncontainable as they finally let out a fresh sob before rushing and throwing themself onto the other.

“SANS!SANS I’M SO SORRY!I-I DIDN’T MEAN IT!I KNOW YOU-I KNOW YOU TRY SO HARD AND I-I-“ the tears overwhelmed him.

_what in the-_

The skeleton, now gripping him in a tight embrace, buried their face into his chest.The cries raked their entire body.  Despite being younger, they were nearly the same size as the skeleton they were now pinning to the ground.

“hey, look, kid...kid, it’s-it’s alright.”He hesitantly patted their back.This wasn’t Papyrus, not really.This couldn’t be Papyrus.

They lifted their head enough to lock eyes for a moment, but they didn’t look very comforted by his words.Still trying to regulate their breathing, more tears threatened to resurface every few minutes for about 20.He wouldn’t let himself say anything else, but the silence and obvious desperation for him to were breaking him.

They sure seem like Papyrus.

Finally pushing themselves up and off him, they curled in on themselves again, pulling their knees to their chest.It had dealt a serious blow not to respond better to such an explosive apology.Whatever this kid was apologizing for, they must’ve really gone low.

They were still trying to blink the remaining tears away when he couldn’t take it anymore.

Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around the young skeleton.

“it’s okay...really.i mean it.”

_damn it._

The other was quick to reciprocate, grasping handfuls of the back of his hoodie as they sat in the snow.Softer, quieter tears were muffled against the brim of his hood.This can’t be Papyrus.

“I REALLY AM SORRY, BROTHER.”

_this..._

“I CAN DO BETTER.I SWEAR.”

_this is papyrus._

“you better not.”

A reluctant snort followed by an attempt to scold the joke failed, but it proved he’d done the right thing.

“THAT WAS REALLY AWFUL.”

He had absolutely no idea how, but he wasn’t going to find out by sitting in the snow for another hour.As they gently pulled back apart, he got a good look at his now much younger brother.He couldn’t be more than 11.  A genuine smile was enough to reassure him as they both got back to their feet.

“ready to head home?”

A nod was all the confirmation he needed before he slung his arm around his brother’s shoulders as they started their way back towards home. 

  _w_ _ell, at least he’s short enough to do this again._

 

* * *

 

  He honestly tried to take as few short cuts as possibly, altering space-time was a dangerous thing to trifle with, but these circumstances warranted it.  He materialized right in front of their house, feet flying as he kept his momentum up the stairs.  He practically threw himself against the door as he fumbled with his keys for a minute before finding the correct one.  The house was dark, as he’d left it.  There was still a dirty bowl and a cup on the table from the breakfast he hadn’t cleaned up after that morning.  Good.

Running up the stairs, he threw open the door to his brother’s bedroom, pushing open the closet to reveal a handful of shirts and coats, hand me downs from himself, but small enough to confirm that the problem was not that he’d wound up in the future, somehow.

The problem was Papyrus.

Now.How the hell did he end up in the past?Or was this an alternate timeline for him?Was his properly aged brother still out alone and lost in the woods?In his shock and confusion, that hadn’t occurred to him.His legs felt weak beneath him, but he didn’t have time to give way to the overwhelming questions and doubts.His brother was old enough to not need his protection in the forest, right?But what if both Papyrus’ interact and collapse the timeline?!His hand shook as he grasped at his chest, bracing himself against the wall.He couldn’t breathe.

_stop.stop._

Panicking wouldn’t get him anywhere, he had to remain focused.Taking another shortcut to his workshop, he flipped the lights on to reveal everything, yet again, as it was.Less of a relief than before, though.The cloaked machine stared him down from across the room.Anxiety pricked the palms of his hands, sending a chill up and through his neck, numbing the back of his head as he proceeded towards it.He felt like he might pass out, or hurl, or something as he felt the fabric between his fingers in both hands.With a single tug, he exposed the machine he hadn’t laid eyes upon in so many years.

Dust exploded into the room, warranting a cough or two as the skeleton took a step closer to the thing.He had taken it apart and put it back together so many times, he could probably still do it - blindfolded, at that.He ran his hand over the broken keypad on the face of the console, he’d smashed it in frustration the last time it had seen the light of day.Or, the light of the half burnt out fluorescents, anyway.It was obvious this machine wasn’t the culprit, but then again, it may still be...

If this was the same timeline, it was entirely possible that he would, in the future, attempt to fix it again, resulting in their current situation.Or maybe it wasn’t him at all, maybe Alphys...No, no.He took every blueprint with him when he left, there was no way she would think of something like this, let alone get it working.At least partially.

It probably wasn’t anyone’s intention to send Papyrus, of all monsters, back in time.Unless, of course, they were two different timelines altogether.He didn’t even know how to approach that chance.

He should go to the lab, find out if anything screwy showed up on any of Alphys’ monitors.She didn’t know much about the whole “space-time fuckery” potential of their world, but at this point, any new information would be helpful.

Then there was Papyrus.

He couldn’t just let the altered version of his brother traipse around the wrong time, or dimension, he couldn’t even fathom what kind of havoc that could wreak.He’d have to find him first, but he couldn’t really put him under house arrest...Alphys has never met him, so he supposed he could bring him.It wouldn’t be a good idea to tell him just how screwed they’d be if he so much as spoke to the wrong person, so with was definitely better.

Making up his mind, he headed back up the stairs, circling back to the front porch.Checking to make sure that there was still an extra key under the wreath hanging proudly on the door, he had no idea if his, or rather, the younger Papyrus was still in this time/world.It was getting late, there was almost no chance he wouldn’t have come home in the time since this all started.At least he hoped so. 

He hoped that, wherever he ended up, that he was safe.Maybe he ended up with a future Sans...it was made clear by their previous interaction that they were still close in wherever the older Papyrus had come from from.

He found himself standing in front of their porch, staring into the trees.He shouldn’t be wasting time like this, he should be finding his brother.And like that, he was off again, back into the forest.


	3. Long Days, Longer Nights

It had been a relatively quiet walk back to Snowdin, he’d spent most of it trying to figure out how to explain any of this to the normal Papyrus once he got home.  Which was nearly impossible given that he didn’t actually have a clue about what was going on.It was early enough in the day that they at least had a few hours before he came home, and hopefully by then he wouldn’t need an explanation.

Of course, it had occurred to him that this was, in fact, the same Papyrus, and that some strange flux in the space-time continuum had created a rift in their timeline, reverting his brother to a younger age.But if that were the case, why would he not remember?Why would his clothes have changed, too? Why would he have been the only one, or thing, to have been affected?What if he wasn’t?

And then there was the chance that  he was the one in the wrong time or place.He didn’t want to think about that one.

What else could it even be?A momentary collapse in the multiverse?If that were the case, there could be any number of oddities happening.If that were the case, this Papyrus wouldn’t live to see next month.

“SANS?”He still seemed bashful, which was very unlike him.What had he said to his older brother before ending up here?

“sup, bro?”

“I-I WAS WORKING ON A PUZZLE BEFORE YOU GOT HOME,” his smile softened as he spoke, relaxing under the reassuring side hug from his brother, “WOULD YOU HELP ME FINISH IT?”

“oh, uh,”  _ depends on where we end up_ , “how about we start a new one together?”

  The kid’s eyes practically lit up at the idea, “THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!!”He stopped them both by enthusiastically hugging the other before pulling back with in confusion, “SANS, WHY DOES YOUR SHIRT SMELL LIKE DOGS??”

Nervously laughing off the question, he started walking again, “hey, look,” drawing attention to the rock formation connecting the forest to their town, he smiled back over his shoulder, “the bridge is  _drawing_ near.”

“YEAH!! WE’RE ALMOST HOME!!!”

_guess he’s too short for that one, ‘cause it flew right over his head._

  Hastily catching up, he watched his brother rush ahead of him while he breezed on the rest of the way there.

The house was dark, he didn’t remember turning the lights off, making it vaguely suspicious.Only the lights lining the roof were on, but the younger Papyrus didn’t seem to notice nor care as he jumped the stairs to the porch and pulled a key from his pocket.

“hey, uh, paps?”Hand on the doorknob, he stopped, “why don’t i go in first, looks a little dark.”

“OH!! OKAY!”

Catching up and onto the porch, his brother stepped aside for him to take his place.His SOUL pulse was working overtime as he pushed the door open, hesitantly standing in the doorway as he scanned the living room and what he could see of the kitchen.Papyrus seemed to be picking up on his nerves as he shuffled in closer, behind him.

Almost reluctantly, Sans moved to turn on the lights, hesitating just long enough to seem weird before flipping the switch.

“LET THERE BE LIGHT!! NYEH HEH HEH!”

If he had skin, he would’ve jumped out of it.But the younger skeleton paid no attention to the accidental near-cardiac-arrest he put his brother into as he threw his coat over the chair by the table and happily strolled into the living room. 

Everything seemed normal.Although, he couldn’t tell if that was a good thing.The sticky note parade on the wall berating him for the singular sock on the floor was proof of the time they were in.Not necessarily universe, though.Yet there weren’t signs that the older Papyrus had been home recently at all.He didn’t really know what kind of a sign he would leave, but he found himself pining to see his older younger brother, to know that he was okay...and he wasn’t finding much proof of that.

“WHAT ARE THOSE?”The curious skeleton peered over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the odd little things he’d been studying.

“just a reminder...” he turned to face the child, “actually, there’s something i gotta check up on.mind to keep a  socket on things for a little while?”

His brother’s shoulders drooped “WHAT ABOUT THE PUZZLE??”

“like i said, it shouldn’t take a skele _ton_ of time.we can start as soon as I get back.”

Still seeming unconvinced, his brother extended his hand, closing every finger but his pinky, “PROMISE?”

“you’re kinda puttin’ me on the spot here, bro...”

His determination did not waver.

“alright, ya got me.”Locking their pinky’s together, he hoped his brother was still young enough that he wouldn’t suspect that he’d crossed his fingers in his pocket.

“i’m going  _tibia_ back before you know it.”

“SANS!!!”

He was already to the door when his brother had finally had enough of the jokes.The kid would be fine alone for just a little bit, right?All he had to do was check the basement, there wasn’t any reason that should take him more than a few minutes...right?

 

* * *

 

   It had been almost two hours by the time he spotted the older Papyrus.He’d found absolutely no sign that his younger brother was anywhere inside the forest.It was probably for the best that both Papyrus’ couldn’t interact with each other, but it was terrifying to think that his younger brother might not be as safe as the one here.

He swore he’d stop looking once he found this version, though, and at this hour, if he waited any longer, he wouldn’t be able to ask Alphys for help.

What was he doing, anyway?Just...standing along one of the paths, staring into the trees...?

“OH, THERE YOU ARE, BROTHER!!” The talk skeleton noticed him, smiling enthusiastically, and gestured to the area he’d been watching, “WHERE IS YOUR SENTRY STATION??”

“oh, heh, needed...some adjustments?”   _really?_ “so i _sent-_ ryitout to the...royal adjusters.”  _nice_.

  He was afraid for a solid 9 seconds that it hadn’t worked as the older Papyrus stared back at him blankly.

  At least until he turned completely to face his brother, planting both hands on his hip bones, “THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!  I’M PROUD OF YOU FOR TAKING  INITIATIVE FOR A CHANGE!!  REMEMBER, IF YOU DO AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF ACHIEVING ONLY SUCCESS!  NYEH HEH HEH!!”

  Clapping gloved hands firmly on his shoulders, his demeanor changed in an instant, intense eyes locking with his own, “ANYWAY, WERE YOU REALLY FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER EARLIER??OR WERE YOU MERELY JAPING ME FOR YOUR OWN AMUSEMENT??”

“awe c’mon, bro, you know i _don’t have the_ _ stomach_ for that kinda thing.”He’d forgotten even mentioning that.

“AAAAGH!!! SANS!!!”  He threw his hands up angrily, “I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO ASK!! YOU ARE SUCH A LAZYBONES, YOU WERE JUST SLACKING OFF AGAIN!!!”

_ouch_.  Was future him really so pathetic?

“what can i say.”Shrugging it off, he could feel the intensity of the stare resting on him.Was he that easy to see through?Well, he is a skeleton.heh.

“SANS-“

“how about you and me go check in on an old friend of mine?”

The tall skeleton was surprised by the request, but he cut down the sad attempt at diversion.

“SANS, YOU CAN’T JUST-

“what, did i catch you _off guard_ with that one?”

Crossing his arms, the taller skeleton huffed his disapproval,  “FINE!!!WE’LL GO SEE YOUR FRIEND!BUT THEN YOU’RE TELLING ME WHAT’S GOING ON!!”

Is he always so bossy?

“yeah, yeah.hey, uh,” he starting walking back towards town, his brother sighing annoyedly as he followed, “did ya ever figure out what that weird thing earlier was?”

“SANS, THAT IS NO WAY TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF!!”

“oh.wow.”

“NYEH HEH HEH!! THAT’S WHAT YOU DESERVE!!!”

“alright, fair enough.” he shoved his hands in his pockets, lightened by the joke, but he didn’t know how much longer he could get away without talking about it.So, he conceded.

“that’s actually, uh...that’s what’s really...kinda bothering me.”

“IS IT BROTHERING-“

“pap, come on.”

He could feel his brother’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet them.He also couldn’t restrain the flinch when the gentle pressure of hands fell on his shoulders, “FEAR NOT, BROTHER, NO MATTER WHAT, YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!” Whilst maintaining his goofy persona, there was more sincerity to his tone.He was definitely sure of himself.But in a good way.It was really good.

When the hands pulled back, he looked over his shoulder at the still very much unfazed monster.

“SO WHERE IS IT THAT WE’RE GOING ANYWAY?”

_should probably call first._

“the  hottest place in the underground, of course.”The look on Papyrus’ face was enough to tell that he knew very well what he meant.

“HOTLAND??? OF ALL PLACES??”

“can’t help where my friends live, can i?” 

Clapping a hand onto his face, he dragged it down with exaggerated frustration, “FINE.SO WHO IS IT WE’RE MEETING??”

“actually, i‘m gunna give her a call. gimme a minute.”

He pulled out his phone and started dialing while his brother crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

For a moment he thought she wouldn’t answer when-

“H-hello?”

“hey, al, mind if me and my brother come over?i’ve...got a few questions about something.”

 

* * *

 

Everything was normal.The machine, the files, the burnt out fluorescent.It should’ve been more of a relief than it was.Running his finger through the thick dust on the cloaked machine, he thoughtlessly flicked it off.

He watched it fall.More like levitate, actually.He really needed to rest, his thoughts were becoming too muddled to be considered coherent.

He had no clues, no leads, no reasons - nothing.Maybe he should make some coffee.

Rubbing his temples, he decided he’d wasted enough time and headed back to the stairs.However, as he neared the top of them, he was surprised to find a small silhouette looking back at him.

“c’mon, little dude, can’t a guy get some privacy?”

As he entered the dim lighting of the glowing snow, he noticed the fresh tears catching the light on his brother’s face too late.

“Y-YOU WERE GONE FOR HOURS!!!I-I THOUGHT...”

“hey hey, bro, it’s ok,” he had forgotten they’d apparently had a fight before- wait...hours?“i’m not mad.just lost track of time.”

He’d been gone 15 minutes, tops.But this shouldn’t surprise him.

The younger skeleton, more meekly than before, drew close enough to wrap his arms around his brother.

“...’m sorry, Sans.”

The uncharacteristic softness in the child’s voice struck him like a bold of lightning.And it only felt worse when he quickly pulled back.This probably had to be just about the worst day to be thrown into a time paradox for the kid.What was the thing he used to do when Papyrus was mad at him...?

Pulling the other back into a hug, he heard a soft huff of surprise.Pulling him closer still, he shifted carefully, hooking his hoodie’s zipper behind the smaller monster and zipping it up, too fast for his brother to escape.

“no need to be so  _in tents_ , bro.”

“SANS!”He squirmed underneath the fabric, but he couldn’t contain his laughter.

It had slipped his mind that his brother knew his weaknesses very well.

Without warning, he jolted backwards, overwhelmed by the sensation of his brother tickling around his rib cage.They collapsed in an awkward pile of flailing limbs and laughter, snow puffing into a cloud around them.

Admitting defeat, he unzipped the hoodie, huffing between words, “you got me good...right in the...funny bone.”

“FUNNY BONES ARE IN YOUR ARM, SANS!!”His brother sat proudly atop him, slightly out of breath as well.

Squeaking as he got rolled off into the snow, they both sat back up, smiling.A weird melancholic nostalgia washed over him, seeing his brother smile at him like that.Things weren’t like they used to be, that was for sure.

They helped each other to their feet, brushing off the snow while they headed back inside.The house was still bright, the tv was still off, but the handful of t-shirts strewn across the couch caught his attention.

“you tryin’ ta imitate me or something?”

Noticing the mess in reference, his brother hesitated before turning back to him with a scowl.

“I FORGOT!! I WAS MAD BECAUSE YOU CHANGED MY ROOM ALL UP!!”He dramatically gestured to the clothes, “I CAN’T FIND ANY OF MY CLOTHES!!!”

It hadn’t occurred to him that time would shift several hours while he was downstairs, and little Papyrus would end up going up to what he thought was his room.

“oh, heh, yeah.april fools?”

“SANS IT’S NOT EVEN SPRING!!!”

“april fools day is celebrated every day in this household.”

“SANS!!!”

Coffee was sounding better by the second.

“how about some hot chocolate?”

His brother only maintained his scowl for another moment before considering the offer.

“WELL.  OKAY.”Ah, the days of bribery.Still worked, just not as well.

Opting to ignore the mess, he flicked his phone out of his pocket as he headed to the kitchen.Absentmindedly fuddling with coffee maker, he opened a new text conversation.

‘hey al

mind if me and my bro come over for a while?

got a few questions i wanna ask ya’

He rarely reached out to her, so he wasn’t expecting a speedy reply.Especially not considering it had to be pretty late if several hours had passed since, well, an hour ago.

What did that even mean?

He was too tired for this.

Starting on his brother’s beverage of choice, he watched his phone with a numb anxiety.What if something had happened to her, too?He couldn’t handle two kids.Did he just put coffee grounds into the hot chocolate?

He was definitely too tired for this.

He paced reluctantly around the kitchen in an effort to stay awake until the coffee finished, only pausing to watch his brother dismantle the couch covered in clothes.

Papyrus hadn’t changed all that much.Nothing changed all that much.Except him.

There was no chance that creepy flower had anything to do with this, was there?

Quickly pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he figured it would be more worth his time to look for that bag of marshmallows.He could worry about time and space after he got some coffee or took a nap.

  _or both._


	4. High Frequencies

“Alright, uh, I’ll...just be here, then.”

_Click_.

After a little back and forth over the ‘strange feeling’ that just about everyone had seemed to notice, they decided to discus it further once they had arrived.He couldn’t really mention what had happened to his brother with him walking two feet away, though.He was grateful they’d never met before.

His attention kept circling back to the skeleton.It was hard to act like this was entirely normal, everything about him was...so different.Well, he was the same, but....different. 

Never seeming to notice the sidelong glances, his brother seemed wrapped up in his own thoughts as well.He aired on walking too close, but the ease of practice found him perfectly paced and mindful of his brother.The boots were a nice touch, they perfectly matched the old, tattered scarf.

What had initially just been panic ebbed closer to curiosity.If this Papyrus was from their future, then he really shouldn’t ask him anything, but it was so enticing...

“YOU’RE DOING IT AGAIN.”

Snapping out of thought, he found himself staring up at the other, probably with that stupid proud-soccer-dad look on his face.

“what, i’m not allowed to  _look up_ to my cool brother?”

“YOU’RE LOOKING AT ME LIKE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ME IN YEARS AND IT’S REALLY WEIRD, SANS.”He sailed right past the pun and went straight for the kill.

“i was...really worried about you earlier, is all.”It  _was_ the  truth, “i’m just glad you’re okay.”

“NYEH HEH!THE GREAT PAPYRUS APPRECIATES YOUR CONCERN!! EVEN IF IT IS MISPLACED!I AM QUITE GOOD AT DEFENDING MYSELF!!”

The thought of his brother trying to fight off a human made his metaphorical stomach turn.

“yeah.i know.”

He pulled his eyes away, instead watching his sneakers press into the snow with each step.His brother had always been so adamantly opposed to killing and violence...what could happen that would make him change?Make him want to join the Royal Guard?

“SANS.”

His brother stopped him by his shoulder.When he looked back, an unusually serious expression caught him by surprise.

“WE MAY NOT KNOW WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON, BUT ITS GOING TO BE OKAY.”

The glow of the dim light reflected by the snow cast tinted shadows across the other, coloring him in plethoras of blues and purples.He looked like something out of some kind of anime.

Resting his hand over the gloved one on his shoulder, he replied with a grateful nod.Continuing down the path again, he felt almost certain that Papyrus was right.

 

As they neared Hotland, things sort of started to feel, well, as close to normal as they could.His brother had asked him about his clothes, remarking that it was nice to see him wear real ones again.Every hint he got at his own future sounded wrong.Did he really just...give up?

They talked a little about Mettaton, even if he didn’t really know what that meant, and he heard mention of an Undyne, which didn’t sound familiar, either.It was at least nice to know his brother had friends outside of him, though.

The lab was finally in view, but he almost wished it was still a little farther off.It was fun to talk about the future, even if it wasn’t on the surface.Even if he didn’t know it was his future.

“WHAT AN AWFUL PLACE TO PUT A HOUSE!” The taller skeleton lamented.

Half-heartedly agreeing, he pressed a button on the intercom.

“H-hello?Sans?”

“hey, al, s’been a while.”

A loud buzz sounded while the door slid open, his brother seeming suspicious of the building.

He was contrarily comfortable as he strolled through, the familiar face of his old friend waiting inside for them.

“It-it’s good to see you again!”She waved timidly to him before her gaze shifted to the other visitor, “a-and you must be...uh-“

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!”She hopped back a few inches, surprised by his volume.

“IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET YOU, SANS’ FRIEND!YOU LOOK AWFULLY FAMILIAR,” he turned to his brother, “ARE YOU SURE WE HAVEN’T MET PREVIOUSLY?”

“ _tibia_ honest, guess i don’t know.”

“SANS!!NOW IS HARDLY THE TIME FOR THAT!!!”

Sweating bullets, Alphys looked between the two in confusion.

“I-I thought you had a...younger brother?”

“BUT OF COURSE!!EVEN THOUGH I’M MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE TAKING NOW, HE WAS A  _PARIETAL_   FIGURE FOR ME AS A BABYBONES!!!NYEH HEH HEH!!”

Light blue blushed across his face as his brother answered for him.

“R-right, what was I thinking,” a nervous laughter escaped the doctor as she turned to lead them to into the main room, “I’m Alphys, by the way...”

“ALPHYS, A FITTING NAME FOR A ROYAL SCIENTIST!!”He nodded firmly, placing his hands on his hips like he’d made a decision, “YOU WILL MAKE AN EXCELLENT FRIEND!!”

the royal scientist?

Blush much brighter than his own masked her face, “O-Oh, thank you...?But, I’m not...”Looking back to Sans, he offered a shrug before looking back to Papyrus.

“why don’t you hang out around here for a bit, we’ve got some boring science-y stuff to do.”

“I FIND THAT QUITE CONDESCENDING, BROTHER!!BUT I JUST SO HAPPEN TO HAVE SOMETHING I NEED TO TAKE CARE OF ANYWAY!”Dismissively tilting his head back, he marched back towards the hallway, headed for the exit. 

The timid scientist looked to him for any kind of explanation.Calm expression never failing, he turned to her, narrowing his eyes, “wanna know a secret?”

Fiddling with the collar on her lab coat, she quickly understood it was a rhetorical question, “um...”

“he’s from the future.”

She remained where she was, eyes growing wider.  Looking back at the doorway the skeleton had been in only a moment ago, her brows knitted together 

“That’s...n-not funny.”

“‘s not a joke.”He kept his eyes fixed on her, waiting for her gaze to return to him.

Their atmosphere shifted dramatically as it sunk in.

“Oh god...”. She held her face, as if this was her own fault.

His demeanor finally changing to suit his words as took his hands out of his pockets, crossing them over his chest.

“we gotta fix this.fast.”

* * *

 

  He peeled his eyes off the phone sitting on the table beside him to watch his little brother play with the half empty bag of marshmallows. After the hot chocolate, he’d requested pretzel sticks, which they just so happened to have, and was making...some kinda sculpture.

Head resting in his palm, his eyelids sat heavy, sinking every few minutes after he forced them back open again.Papyrus started humming.A song he didn’t know, or rather, remember...but it sounded.....familiar.......

“SANS?”

Only finding the strength to open one eye half way, he could just see two eyes poking out around the odd little creation.

“what’s up?”

Getting up off his chair he stood proudly beside his masterpiece, “WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

“hmm,” sighing as he lifted his head, he gave it a proper look-over.

It was.Mostly white.Had a few holes...was...kinda haunting.

“i’d say it’s pretty  _fibulas,_  bro-“

“SANS!!”He crossed his arms.

“what, uh...is it?”

Taking back to his seat, the young skeleton pushed his mug across the table to rest his head beside his work.

“I DON’T KNOW.HE WAS IN MY DREAMS LAST NIGHT!”

“he?”Resting his head down opposite his brother, he watched him with drowsy eyes.

“OH!I REMEMBER!!HE’S, UM, A DOG, I THINK!!!”

Like a bolt of lightning, he smacked the gooey mass onto the floor, letting horror fuel the flare of magic engulfing the thing in an instant.

“SANS!!”The scream from his brother struck his heart like a knife.He’d thrown himself onto the floorin front of what was now only the light of spent magic, clutching his chest.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?!?”

Collapsing to the ground beside him, he quickly wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders.

“pap, i don’t wanna scare you,” this was all wrong, “but you gotta tell me if you remember anything else about that dream.”How was it possible?

The young monster’s face was already stained by tears as he finally looked back to his brother, when his eyes opened wider...in fear?He stumbled backwards, away from the embrace.

“SANS!Y-YOUR EYE-“

His hand instinctively covered it, even though it was already out by the time it reached his face.

_he’s never seen...oh god._

“Pap, listen to me- it’s okay.”  Voice strained, he quickly removed his hand to prove it, “I’m okay, you’re okay.It’s okay.”

Sitting back, he tried to calm down.He hated that look.It was still burned into his memory from the first time...

_shit, he’s younger than I thought._

“Pap...bro,” doing his best to steady his tone, he took a deep breath, “I didn’t mean to scare you.“

Recovering from the shock, the kid wiped the tears from his eyes.A smile, weak and small, but a smile nonetheless, appeared on the young skeleton’s face.

“I-I’M NOT SCARED!YOU’RE....YOU’RE OKAY, THOUGH, RIGHT?”He pulled himself closer, worried eyes scanning the other’s face like he was looking for something, but his smile never faltered.

Even this young, he was already lying for his brother’s sake...

“yeah, pap, i’m okay.”

Lunging into a hug, he could feel his brother balling up his hoodie, clenching like he was afraid the other might disappear again.

“I’M SORRY MY DOG SCARED YOU!I’M SORRY I MADE AN EVIL DREAM DOG!!”

A hiccup confirmed that he was, in fact, crying again.How could such a small monster have so many tears?Leaning them back slowly onto the floor, he could feel tears stinging the corners of his own eye sockets as well.Definitely wasn’t any easier the second time.

They laid like that for a while, the tired ache that filled his head wasn’t bothering him as much anymore.He focused on the soft, shallow breaths from the small monster as his tears tapered.They eventually slowed into something softer, deeper.A brother as his pillow, the young skeleton had fallen asleep.

This was all such a mess.If this Papyrus was from their past, that would mean he couldn’t be older than 10...Why was he dreaming about the amalgamates?Was it something about whatever caused him to end up here?How in the hell were they going to fix this?Could they?Could he?

Just as he lifted his head to check on the poor, exhausted kid, with hilariously bad timing, his phone buzzed to alert him of a new text.It was still sitting up on the table.

  There wasn’t really a good way to go about this, but the situation just escalated to a whole new level, he couldn’t put off talking to Alphys...but using blue magic to retrieve the device might scare his brother awake.

Papyrus had always been a light sleeper, but he’d had one hell of a day, so he might be tired enough to sleep through a _minor_ disturbance. Starting with the one sleeve, he worked his way out of the hoodie, barely jostling the other at all.With soft hands and slow movements, he held his brother’s head in place while he swapped the balled up garment for his chest.

Sighing in relief, he pushed himself back up off the floor and found his cellphone.

‘Hey!!What’s up?’

His brother was out like a light, there was no reason he couldn’t talk now, so, he opted to respond via call.The phone rang a few times, but the tightness in his chest eased a little when he finally heard the familiar voice.

“H-hello?”

“hey, al.we got ourselves a, uhh... _little_ situation . ”

 

* * *

 

The low hum from the wall of screens sounded louder with each passing hour.  Their lights the only in the room, Alphys deeming the normal fluorescents too harsh for this time of night.  They’d been scouring every file and report on the core monitors from the past twenty-four hours, checking for any anomaly, any sign that could give them even the tiniest clue as to what the hell was going on.

It was impossibly frustrating to look at the same numbers and graphs with absolutely no sign of difference when he was so painfully aware something was wrong.His neck was already stiff, and the lack of sleep was bringing on a dull headache he definitely didn’t need.

Alphys had just started combing over the specific magic readings from each area with nothing to show, either.She started with Snowdin, as it remained the only known affected area, but she wasn’t even halfway through yet.At this rate, it could take them days to find something.

The buzz of the intercom startled the nervous doctor, but the security cameras revealed the taller skeleton waiting patiently at the main door.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll see what he wants.”She seemed glad to have an excuse to stretch her legs as she hopped out of her chair and ambled out of sight.

Eyes drifting back to the bright screens beside him, he watched her make her way back to the entry way and greet him.The clock in the corner of the screen confirmed it was after 3am.It only took a few seconds for his curiosity to get the better of him as switched the audio on.

“...guess so anyway...d-do you know anything about the core?”

“ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE CORE OF THE PLANET OR OUR CORE?”

“Uh, never mind...I-I’m sure Sans will call you when we’ve, or um, whenever he’s ready to leave.”

Clicking the audio back off, watching them was a good reminder of the importance of his task.He wouldn’t let himself think about the chances whatever happened might not be reversible.

_he’s still paps, its not...the worst outcome._

  But he still didn’t know what happened to his Papyrus.

The sound of approaching steps drew his mind back into focus as Alphys reentered the room.Pushing himself out of his chair, he stretched his arms above his head, a dull soreness aching in them.

“you know, skeletons can’t crack their knuckles,” he turned to her, relaxing his arms, finding tired eyes and a worried frown, “we don’t have cartilage.”

When she averted her eyes, he could tell there was something new bothering her.Slipping his hands in his pockets, he offered a laid back smile in hopes of an unprompted confession.Which he wouldn’t get.

  Deciding the silence had dragged out long enough, he meandered closer,“what’s up?”

She wrung her hands, looking at anything but him.

“W-what if...what if that’s not...what if that skeleton’s not your brother?”

Outside of his stats, he didn’t have solid proof.Though, he’d never know anyone quite like his brother, or even of any other skeleton’s, so it’d be pretty hard to believe he was an imposter.

Scratching the side of his face in contemplation, he turned back to the row of screens from the cameras monitoring Hotland, it was much too late for any monsters to be out, making it easy to find the skeleton.Watching the monster he’d assumed to be Papyrus traipse down a path, already fairly far from the lab, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to be sure. 

“and what exactly made you think that?”

“I-I just...the results aren’t showing a-any sort of fluxes...I’m sorry, Sans, I guess I just-“

“no, you’re right.”

He looked back to her, eyes wide from the unexpected agreement.

“we gotta be certain,” heading towards the doorway, he rested a hand on her shoulder in passing, “get some tests ready, i’ll be back in a few.”

He could feel her eyes on the back of his skull until he rounded the doorway, taking a shortcut without hesitation to the beginning of the path he’d just seen the skeleton on.It only took a minute to catch up.

“hey, bro!”He acted out of breath, as if he’d chased the other most of the way.

“SANS?DR. ALPHYS TOLD ME THAT YOU-“

“i know,” finally reaching the other, he inhaled deeply and slid his hands back into his pockets again, “we need your help with a couple things.”

They stared at each other for a moment, making him worry his brother might decline, when his eyes suddenly lit up with enthusiasm.

“REALLY??” He shifted gears quickly, casting a skeptical glance at him, “THIS ISN’T ONE OF YOUR PRANKS, IS IT?” 

“Aw, c’mon, bro, don’t be so  _talus.”_

“IT’S TOO HOT AND GROSS TO DEAL WITH YOUR AWFUL HUMOR!!FINE, JUST GO.”Grabbing his shoulders, the skeleton started steering him back in the direction of lab.He was pretty convinced this was, in fact, Papyrus, but something might have affected him in his ‘trip’ that could potentially show up on the kinds of tests Alphys had in mind.

Once he finally picked up his feet, he had to start into a slight jog, the other’s long legged strides outpaced him at this speed.He was probably just happy to get back out of the heat.

As if the other could read his mind, he started complaining about the climate for the duration of the trip back.

“-I MEAN REALLY.WHAT A DREADFUL IDEA!”

Legitimately short of breath now, he nodded his agreement as Alphys, waiting in the entryway of the lab, waved nervously at their return.

Papyrus reluctantly removed his scarf and gloves as the doors slid shut behind them, but he was otherwise unfazed.Throwing them aside, Alphys watched in confusion as they seemed to literally disappear into thin air.

“DR. ALPHYS!! I HAVE COME TO ASSIST YOU WITH MY SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE!!NYEH HEH HEH!”

Focusing her attention back on them, her eyes flickered to him before returning a smile to his brother.

“It’s-it’s actually some, uh, tests, if you don’t mind...”

“OF COURSE!I CAN PASS ANY TEST YOU HAVE FOR ME!”

She fumbled with her hands, looking pleadingly back to her old partner for assistance.

“not that kind of test, bro.”

Furrowing his brow, the taller skeleton questioned him with a look, but whatever he wanted to ask, Sans took his hand and lead him down the corridor before he could.

“which room,  Doc ?”

“ Oh! Um,” scurrying after them, they slowed to allow her to guide them into a large room.Two separate computers faced them from the far wall, with a medical table to the left, under some kind of scanning device mostly retracted into the ceiling.A cluttered counter space took up the right wall, with a few smaller machines beside it.

“Papyrus, right?Y-you can have a seat...” She gravitated to the closest machine, typing out commands with a furious speed, while he guided his brother over to the table. 

The skeleton kept a hold of his hand even as he sat down on the uncomfortable looking platform, smiling at him in a way that only reassured him of what he already believed.

“IS THIS STILL ABOUT THE WEIRD THING THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?”

The question caught him off guard, but he did his best not to show it.

“kinda.”

It was easier not to make eye contact, but when he looked down to the hand in his own, a cold sensation crept up his spine.Scuffs, scratches, and scars riddled the boney hand, long since healed by time or magic, but prevalent nonetheless.

He tried to choke back the shock, any chance that this wasn’t his brother gone from his mind as he opened his own hand to examine it further.A quick glance to the other one propping the monster up on the table revealed a matching set.

“what, uh, what happened to your hands, pap?”

“WHAT?WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?”Retracting his hand to look it over, he seemedthoroughly confused by the question, “THEY LOOK AS HANDY AS EVER!”

He responded with a half-hearted chuckle just as Alphys made her way back over.

“I need to take two samples...they might, um, they might hurt a little-“

“DO WHAT YOU NEED TO, DR. ALPHYS!!I HAVE THE PAIN TOLERANCE OF...“ tapping his chin thoughtfully, he couldn’t quite find an example, “SOMETHING THAT ISN’T EASY TO HURT!!LIKE WATER!”

Smiling nervously, she looked back at Sans.He could tell she really had no idea if he was being serious or not.

  Letting his nerves subside, he looked back to the skeleton, sitting straight as an arrow, chest puffed out with pride, while the scientist made her way around the table.She pulled herself up, fiddling with the fabric around his neck until he reached his hands back to help her, knowing the garment much better.

“i guess she could call you,” she prepared an uncomfortably large looking needle as he did his best to distract, “a  _steel_ eton.”

The monster opened his mouth to scold him, but a sharp yelp shot out instead, hands flying to cover his mouth.He went rigid until Alphys finished a moment later.

“S-sorry!That one’s definitely the worst...”

She had to be extracting pure magic.The best place is the base of the skull, and while he’d never had it done himself, he understood how painful it must be.

“N-NO NEED FOR APOLOGIES!”His voice was shaky as he rubbed the back of his neck, “IT WAS BARELY A PINCH!!”

Climbing down, she made her way to the counter, fussing with a rather loud machine.He found himself watching the other again.Whenever they were together, it felt like there was absolutely no way it wasn’t his brother...but a lingering unfamiliarity plagued him.

he  _is_ the anomaly.

Climbing up onto the hard table to sit beside him, Sans watched the skeleton smile at Alphys as she return with different tools.She apologized again, explaining that this one still hurt, too, but Papyrus insisted that as long as it was useful, he didn’t mind.

His eyes drifted to the scarred hand beside him.The future was looking duller than he’d hoped.He hadn’t realized Alphys had already started until her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Sans?”

He looked up to two sets of eyes watching him, hers from the other side of his brother, peering around him with thoroughly furrowed brows.

“huh?sorry, didn’t get too much sleep last night.” 

“Oh, um, I just, would it be okay to...get one from you, too?”He couldn’t tell what she was doing, but it was probably just a bone sample.

“yeah, sure.” His nonchalant smile found its way back on his face as she hopped back down and hurried across the room to one of the machines.

“THAT ONE WAS EASY, I’M SURE YOU’LL DO GREAT!”And back she came, “MAYBE EVEN ALMOST AS GREAT AS ME!OF COURSE, I AM EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD AT TESTS!!!SO DON’T BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOU DON’T!”

She pulled herself back up on his side, muttering her annoyance at the height up the table, “Okay, try to hold still, please.”

Doing as he was told, he was surprised by the sharp burning sensation of the tool.It took longer than he expected, he had to consciously stop himself from flinching away, but it was over soon enough, as she placed a bandage over the new chink in his arm bone.

“hope you find that to be quite  _humerus_ , doc.”

She shot him a look before making her way back to the same machine, Papyrus too distracted with his own bandage to even notice.Opting to nudge him, this was a once in a life time joke he couldn’t pass up.

“c’mon, humerus?nothin’?”

“YOU’RE NOT MY BROTHER.”

Alarm choked him, confused by the statement, until the other skeleton finally pulled his eyes off the wrappings to watch Alphys toy with the device’s controls, “I’M DISOWNING YOU.”

He turned his head away, struggling to to regain his composure before either of them noticed his brief panic.The sound of Alphys’ return gave him the opportunity to distract himself from the misunderstanding.

“It will...probably take a few hours to, uh, to get the results...”She tapped two claws together, looking back and forth between the skeletons, “so, um...what now?”

“well,” he squinted to see the clock on the wall across from them, but it was too far to read, “it’s pretty late.or early.maybe you should get some sleep, al.”

She looked like she might argue, glancing down at her watch, “...it’s almost 5.”She toyed with it for a moment before lifting her gaze back to him, “then what would you do?”

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT HIM, DOCTOR ALPHYS, HE CAN SLEEP ANYWHERE!!HE HAS WAY TOO MUCH PRACTICE.” 

“yep, that’s me.”He was grateful that he didn’t have to come up with an answer, even if the one provided was another disheartening glimpse into his future.

“If-if you’re sure.I am...pretty tired.”She focused on her hands, wringing them in contemplation, “Y-you could at least come upstairs...there’s a couch, which would be more comfortable,” a pink hue spread across her cheeks, “o-only if you want to!”

“that’d be good, whadya you think, paps?”

Keeping his focus on the scientist, the skeleton readily jumped off the table, “LIKE A SLEEPOVER??”

She smiled meekly up at him, “Um...yes?”

“WOWIE!!COUCHES ARE A GREAT PLACE TO SLEEP!EXCEPT OURS.IT’S LIKE THE THING IS FULL OF ROCKS OR SOMETHING!”

Despite not knowing where he was headed, the exuberant monster marched back towards the doorway, rambling about couches and beds and furniture in general.

Alphys looked to him with a more sincere smile as he hopped down as well, the two catching up while Papyrus waited in the hallway.

At this point, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted something to show up in the results or not...but hopefully, rest would help ease his mind.Help him think a little more clearly.  Or something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m taking a lot of liberties with the layout of pretty much the entire Underground lol


	5. It’s Raining Somewhere Else

“That’s-that’s...”

“i know.” It would be easy enough to convince her in person, “we’ll be there in a few.”

“If-if this is a prank, Sans-“

“al, believe me, i wish i was joking here.”

The phone went silent.The strained pleading in his tone was probably enough to convince her.

“Alright.I-I’ll be here.”

With a click, the conversation was over.The aching tiredness that haunted him clung to the back of his skull as he focused back on task.

The air in their house was getting heavier by the second, fresh air would be good...but Papyrus had only been asleep for maybe a half an hour now.He didn’t wanna wake him yet, the kid had to be exhausted, and it was,  geez , it was after 11... 

Sliding his phone into the pocket of his pants, he sat back into his chair at the table.He could really use some sleep himself.

There was definitely no chance Papyrus,  _his_   Papyrus, was coming back tonight.He, hopefully, ended up wherever this one came from...it was pretty amusing to image a younger version of himself running into an older Papyrus.They’d probably actually be about the same age...

There was no use in speculating the situation further until he’d at least found out if anything else had happened in the Underground.You can’t fix a problem when you don’t know what caused it, and this was about as far from being explainable by any normal reasoning as you could get.

Gathering up his strength, he hoisted himself up off the chair, stepping back towards his younger brother, sleeping peacefully cuddled into his hoodie.He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Papyrus sleep so well, maybe he’d have to traumatize his current brother more often.heh.

Moving with even more caution than before, he knelt down, working his arms under the child.Hoisting him up, the kid shifted, but remained asleep enough that he could grab the bunched up hoodie and straighten up.

Not daring to attempt the door, he took a shortcut outside, about halfway to Waterfall.It wasn’t snowing right now, and the breeze felt nice as he started padding down the familiar route.A stretch of the femurs can do you good every now and again.

His shoulders stiffened as the kid wriggled in his arms, but settled just as quickly, burying his face against the older monster’s chest.Warmth welled up behind his ribs, all his attention centering on the small monster.The sincere joy in being able to feel like he could take care of his little brother again was revitalizing, if not bittersweet.

As good as that felt, the gnawing hole his correctly aged brother left was growing.They should really be getting to the lab.

With a heavy sigh, and two more shortcuts, they were in Hotland.Taking one more, they were in the entry hall of the lab.He normally wouldn’t intrude, but the change in temperature could’ve disturbed his brother, he couldn’t wait for her to open the door.

With quiet steps, he rounded the doorway into the main room of the laboratory.Alphys was hunched over a desk opposite the main control module, sifting through dozens of folders, too consumed with them to notice her guests’ arrival.

Clearing his throat remedied that.

She let out a gasp, muffling herself with a hand over her mouth.With cautious curiosity, she made her way over, eyes widening as she got a clearer view.While she’d never met the proper Papyrus, he knew they were friends online, so she at least knew what he looked like.

“Oh my god...”her eyes met his, a look of panic on her face. 

She (thankfully) quickly realized how awkward this was for him.His arms were starting to lock up and he could tell the discomfort showed.She quickly waved for him to follow and lead him back into the hall, headed for a stairwell.

“Are you, um, are you okay to carry him upstairs?” She kept her voice down, but it came out higher than usual, the situation taking its toll on her nerves.

Nodding his response, she continued, leading him to the upper level where she lived.They headed straight for the living room couch, laying his brother down as delicately as possibly. 

New anxieties about leaving him alone pricked at the edges of his thoughts while he unraveled his hoodie, draping it gently over the child.He wanted to curl up beside him and sleep for a day solid.

He would just be downstairs.

Following the scientist back down, she steadied herself against the hallway wall at the bottom.

“This is...this is really bad.”

As much as he searched for words to comfort her, nothing came to mind.This was the first unexplainable thing to happen in...in.....a while.

“yeah.  no  _kid_ ding .” 

Not even a dismissive glare.

He let her collect herself before they moved back into the main room of the lab, the dim lighting contrasted by the yellow walls.

“Are...are you sure he’s not just, uh, y-younger, somehow?”

Sitting down across from where she’d previously been at the table, he picked up one of the folders, flipping through it.

“Yeah.He came with the clothes.”

They were the readings from the core monitors.The ink was crisp, Alphys had probably spent the time it had taken them to get there printing them out.The familiar smell of the metal and the ink reminded him of long since buried memories of his old job.

“What...do you think c-could have caused this?”Sliding back into the chair opposite him, she shuffled through a couple of folders.

Tossing his aside, he reached for a new one, “dunno, that’s why we came here.”He stopped, looking back to her with a soft smile, “i really need your help, al.”

She met his eyes with worry, “H-has anything else...happened?”

“not that i noticed, but i’ll keep an eye out. two, actually.” 

She nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the joke.Deciding on a folder, she removed a single paper to look over, “So we...we don’t really know what to look for...”

“yep.”

It would take quite a while to get through the files immediately available, then he’d have to check the computers.

He tried to logically reason out what was the most possible cause of all of this.They’d spent years attempting to develop a machine capable of manipulating the timeline, and now, out of nowhere, for no apparent reason, time flexibly manipulated them.There was a lot of irony in that.

It was almost funny.

As they settled into the repetition of reading variants on the same report, the soft flicks of paper and low hum of the monitors were almost like a lullaby. 

He fought his tired eyes for a while, casting the occasional smile to his old friend, checking his phone, but it was getting harder to focus.By 1am, the numbers were blurring together, the gentle sounds of her breathing mixed with the machines comforted him.He just needed to finish this one...just this one report...then he might......he might just.......

Heavy eyelids finally winning, he slipped reluctantly into a deep, restless sleep.

 

* * *

 

  The stairwell was longer than he remembered, his legs feeling unusually heavy once they reached the second level.  No one bothered with the lights.

Alphys disappeared for a moment, returning with a red blanket, which his brother excitedly accepted.It almost matched the scarfed he’d discarded earlier.

“It’s-it’s not much, but you’re welcome to watch tv, or anything...I’m sorry about the mess.” it was a reasonably large, open room, decorated with books and magazines, but not much else.The shelf in the corner was lined with collectibles, mostly anime related, with a few robotic devices laying in front of it.

“eh, looks about the same as our place.” He offered a friendly smile.

He knew how hard this was for her, being around new people, especially someone like this Papyrus, but she’d made a lot of progress since the last time they’d spent any time together.And it was admittedly good to see her again.

She nodded her thanks before quietly ambling back out of the room, presumably to her own, once again leaving him alone with his (most likely) brother.He had picked up a magazine from the floor, flipping pages far too quickly to be reading it, but seemed thoroughly invested, regardless.

“whatcha got there?”He walked up beside the tall monster, lack of sleep catching up with him, dulling his conscious thought process. 

“SANS, WHAT IS ‘SHOJO’?”The curious eyes that peered over the pages at him were painfully familiar, filling him with an overwhelming sense of loss.He didn’t need any proof that this was his brother, that look was enough.But the bitter confusion that came with that acknowledgment was one he didn’t want.

“just a weird human thing.”Retreating to the couch, he flopped down and waited for his brother to follow.Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about the situation.It would have to be enough to believe his Papyrus was just with an older version of himself.

When the cushion sloped, he opened his eyes, finding a pair that mirrored his own with their exhaustion.

“what’s wrong?”

“YOU LOOK VERY TIRED, BROTHER.”He had taken off his makeshift chest piece, it was resting beside the couch.

“i know what you are, what am i?” He watched the skeleton study his face for a moment, like he didn’t know how to respond.

Sighing, his brother decided on picking up the blanket from his other side, and then turned back to him.He, however, was not prepared to be picked up as well, but it only took a few seconds for the other to reposition them into a more comfortable configuration, lying down.Tossing the blanket over them, he settled, placing his head down beside his older brother’s.Was he even still his older brother?

Sans watched him for a moment, tracing the outline of the white profile against the dark room, until it was disrupted by a turn of the head, Papyrus lamely scowling at him.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO GO TO SLEEP.”

“sorry, pap.”

Surrendering, the other turned his eyes back up to the ceiling.The silence blossomed into an uncomfortable division.How could they be squished together on a couch and feel so far apart?How could Papyrus ever feel like a stranger to him?

“I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE TELLING ME ANYTHING,” he shifted slightly, but kept his eyes focused upwards, “BUT THIS FEELS VERY SERIOUS.”Finally breaking the gaze, he turned back to his brother, watching him carefully.

“I TRUST YOU, SANS.”

Processing this situation was hard, processing how complicated their relationship would be one day was harder.He could feel the hands taking his and he instinctively curled into the other.

A flurry of mixed emotions flooded him.

“i...i can’t explain it yet.” He swallowed back the oncoming tears and closed his eyes, “but i’ll fix it.i promise.”

His brother moved one hand to the back of his head, cradling him like a child.He took a deep breath, refusing to cry in spite of the welling pressure in his eye sockets...it had only been a day. 

_it has only been one day._

Pressing his head against his brother’s chest, he focused on the careful rise and fall of his breathing.The tired ache throughout his entire body was so much more apparent now, as he let subtle movement and hushed sounds guide him into a very deep, very needed sleep.

 

* * *

 

His eyes eased opened, sore from all the tears spent yesterday.Pushing himself up, he noticed very quickly that he was not in his bedroom.He wasn’t even in his house at all.  Glancing around, it didn’t seem familiar, and it wasn’t very tidy, wherever it was.

  Magazines and books, even some garbage littered the wide open room.  It was dark, even though there was a lamp on the shelves on the other side of the room.  But still, he hadn’t woken up in a strange place in years!

Sliding off the couch, he made his way over to the bookshelf.It had a lot of action figures and stuff, but no pictures of their owner (or friends((or family))).He knew he should really just try to find Sans...

The memory of his brother’s violent outburst flooded back to him suddenly, sparking a slight panic. Now he  _had_ to  find Sans.

There was a staircase in the corner of the room, and looking around up here felt like snooping.Plus, he doubted his brother would be here if the lights were all off.Making his way stealthily down the long stairwell, he found himself in a long hallway.Besides several closed doors, it was...pretty much empty, but he could see one door that was open to the right, so he decided to start there. 

As he neared it, it occurred to him that he could get into a lot of trouble for accidentally sleeping in someone else’s house.If he could get out of here, he would just have to get home, his brother was probably there.

Peaking into the room, it looked like something out of a comic book.A large computer looking thing with a bunch of screens took up most of the wall to the right, across from it was a table, covered in papers.

It looked like...a lab.

A calamitous sound from down the hall startled him.Pressing back against the wall, his eyes darted around until they landed on the closest end of the hall.There was a larger door, it looked like an exit.Without waiting to be discovered, he ran, not needing to find a handle as the door automatically opened for him.

The brightness stunned him a little, rubbing his eye sockets as he gained a little more distance between himself and the strange house.It was very hot outside.Slowing to a stop, he looked back over his shoulder, the building looked far less welcoming from the outside, with a single word etched on its face.

‘LAB.’

Not surprising.Was this...where his brother worked?

Taking a moment to look around at his new surroundings, he quickly recognized Hotland.What an unfortunate place to wake up.

If he’d gotten this far by accident, what if Sans was looking for him?What if he was upset?What if he...Shaking away the blue tinted memory, he started walking down the only obvious path.Sans never got mad at him for accidents, but he would still much rather be back home than in this awful place, anyway.

He followed the path until he heard voices up ahead, they were unfamiliar, but whoever they were might be able to help him get back to Snowdin.Hurrying ahead, the path became wider, and he soon found himself at a crossroads.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to focus.He had no idea which direction the monsters would’ve gone in, and no idea where to go next.He hadn’t been here in...a while.

“You there!”

Eyes snapping open, he was met by two, large monsters, wearing full suits of armor.He stumbled backwards, alarmed as they marched closer.

“You look like, lost!Are you okay?”

“OH!YES, I’M OKAY!WELL, ACTUALLY,” straightening back up, he relaxed slightly, “I NEED TO GET TO SNOWDIN!!”

“Oh! Cool!”They exchanged a glance before looking back to him, “The River Person is in like, in that direction,” he pointed to the path behind them, while the other pointed to their right, “But you can also take the long way through Waterfall, too.”

He’d never met the River Person, but he knew of him...maybe the walk wouldn’t be so bad.

“THANK YOU!”Making his decision, he started toward the second path.

“You’re like, totally welcome, little dude!”

“Stay chill!”

Trying not to focus on the accidental pun, he could faintly here them talking to each other as he continued down the path.They were very nice, but he didn’t know why they would be wearing armor.Was it dangerous in Hotland?

Shrugging it off, he diligently followed the path, and sure enough, it lead him to the entry hall, bathed by the red glow of a sign reading ‘WELCOME TO HOTLAND’.

It had taken longer than he’d expected to get this far, maybe it would be better to go back and ask the River Person for help...but with each step, the temperature dropped.The soft, purple tint of the rocks and the cool breeze were a very welcome change of environment.The idea of retracing his steps back through Hotland was too unpleasant, so he resolved to continue this way. 

He didn’t come to Waterfall very often, either, even though it was very pretty.It was also very damp.The path eventually lead him to a stream, surrounded by odd looking flowers, but with a running start, he managed to jump it.After that, though, it broke off into several more paths.It was a significantly more complicated place than Hotland.He did run into a few nice monsters, but they weren’t entirely sure of where to go either.He also found a piano, which it seemed far too humid for, but he did play it a little.

His urgency ebbed with each interaction, as he started rather enjoying the exploration.One room was leaking slight droplets all over, creating puddles across the floor, which he delighted in jumping through.He didn’t need an umbrella, really, the water felt nice and refreshing.

  Joyously distracted as he made his out of that room, he didn’t notice the monster heading into it.

“I’M SORRY!!” Tripping on his own feet, he fell backwards, but the stranger’s hands were faster.

“Whoa!Careful there, kid!”She caught him with ease, helping him back to his feet.When he looked up at her, he was met with eyes more surprised than his own.

“You’re a skeleton!”

“YES!!MY NAME’S PAPYRUS!”He beamed at his new friend, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!”

She laughed, clapping her hand on his shoulder, “Paps didn’t tell me he had a fan club!That’s freaking adorable!!”

He tilted his head slightly, confused by the fish monster, “I, UH-“

“Oh!Sorry, I’m Undyne!”She patted his back almost hard enough to knock him back over, “Turns out, I happen to be a close, personal friend of that dork.”

While he still had no idea what she was talking about, he liked her very much.

“FRIENDS ARE GOOD!!EVERYONE NEEDS THEM!”

She smiled a large toothy grin, “You’re not wrong there, kid!!”

Seeing his opportunity, she certainly seemed like she knew this place very well, “DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET TO SNOWDIN FROM HERE?”

“Oh!You’re looking for the Cool Dude himself, huh?”Before she could finish the response, her eyes flicked up, behind him, surprised by something-

“oh.heh.”

Spinning on his heal, he was overcome with relief to find his brother standing a couple of yards down from them.Ignoring the anxious smile, he ran straight into the older monster’s arms, wrapping his tightly around him.

“hey, paps.you know you can’t just wander off like that,” reluctantly pulling back, a wave of guilt washed over him as Sans held his face comfortingly, “scared me right outta my skin.”

“I’M SORRY, SANS, I THOUGHT YOU WERE AT HOME!!I WOKE UP IN A WEIRD PLACE AGAIN AND GOT SCARED!I KNOW NO ONE IN NEW HOME USED TO GET MAD ABOUT IT BUT I KNEW IT WASN’T NEW HOME AND I COULDN’T FIND YOU AND I DIDN’T KNOW IF YOU KNEW I WAS GONE AND THEN IT TURNED OUT TO BE HOTLAND AND I-“

“heh, it’s okay, bro, i was just worried.”His brother was sweating.Despite the relief they shared, something was still wrong, he could tell that much, “i should of left a note or something.”

——

The absolutely bewildered expression on the guard’s face, albeit amusing, was proof enough there wasn’t going to be any easy way out of this.

“Okay.” Clapping her hands together, she drew them to her face, “What in the HELL is GOING ON?!”

Prompting a gasp from the young skeleton, he reassuringly patted the small shoulder as he pulled away, “guess I’ve got a skele-ton of explaining to do.”

“You...you can’t be serious.”A nervous smile worked its way on her face as she looked between the two, finally resting on the child smiling brightly at her.

“don’t i look serious?” His teasing smile widened as he regained her focus, but this wasn’t a conversation for right now.Ignoring her scowl, he turned back to his brother.

“we gotta go back to the lab, my friend is giving me a hand with something.”

“OH!IT MUST BE TAKE YOUR BROTHER TO WORK DAY!!NYEH HEH HEH!”

A chill consumed him.It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d still be working at the lab in his brother’s mind.But memory lane was not where he wanted to be right now.

“yep, but we gotta get back fast.think you can manage?”

Nodding feverishly, the young skeleton raced back into the rain room.He’d always been good at puzzles, and that included new locations.The young skeleton probably already had most of Waterfall mapped out.

Then there were two.

Undyne stood, slack jawed, watching after the child.Moving to walk past her, he regained her attention as the small monster sprinted out of sight.She followed, almost cautiously, looking back to him in total confusion, “Is that...seriously him?”

_yes_.“kinda.”

“What the hell happened?” She kept her voice low as the little skeleton pulled back into view, still far enough off to not notice.

_obviously i did this for kicks_.“dunno.”

“You know, I liked it better when all you did was loaf around.” 

He could feel the annoyed look watching him, but kept his eyes focused on his brother.

“yeah, me too.”

They walked in silence for a while, only stopping whenever they’d catch back up because Papyrus had stopped to talk to someone.He was grateful for her uncharacteristic reservation, but she probably knew him well enough to know pushing would get her nowhere.

Once they were nearing the return into Hotland, they rounded a bend in time to watch the young monster distractedly walk across a stream cascading down from a waterfall.

Prompting a scoff from Undyne, she crossed her arms as they followed using Bridge Seed.

“So he’s always been like that, huh?”

Sans watched the young skeleton examine a blossomed flower on the other side, while a heavy, nostalgic kind of feeling weighed on him.

“yeah, pretty much.”His hands fidgeted in his pockets.The sooner they were back to the lab the better.

“That must’ve been easy to handle.”He could hear a tinge of sincerity under her sarcasm.She was probably the only person in the underground who came close to loving his brother as much as he did, and he was grateful for her, even if they didn’t always see eye to eyepatch.

“he was a regular bundle of joy.”

Exchanging an amused glance they caught back up to the child at the Hotland entrance.He was waiting for them, but had gotten distracted, reluctantly staring down the long hallway, shoulders dropped.

As he came up beside his brother, he gave him an encouraging nudge, “its not that bad once you get used to it.”

“I DON’T WANT TO GET USED TO IT.”

Without warning, Undyne swung the young skeleton over her shoulder like a jacket, using her other arm to pick him up like a throw pillow. 

“This’ll be EASY without armor!!”And with that, she tore off onto the jagged platforms before either could protest.Actually, Papyrus was laughing.

At that speed, it didn’t take long to get to the lab, even though the show off looked about ready to pass out.Setting them both down, she stumbled into the building, covered in sweat.

“WOWIE!!!” The kid attempted to follow, but tumbled sideways, giggling at himself.

Checking on his slightly disoriented but greatly amused brother, he smirked back to the fish-like monster, “next time, you gotta buy me dinner first.”

Propping herself against the wall inside the doorway, Undyne could only shoot him a look before Alphys popped her head out from down the hall.

“Undyne?!”She scrambled towards them, reaching out but unsure of what to do.

“Heya, Alphys!Mind if I...get some water?”

“Oh, of course!Or, I mean, n-no!”

The trio followed the scientist into the main lab, a fridge present to the left, against the wall.While Alphys got a bottle of water for her friend, Sans made his way back towards the table, now covered  _and_ surrounded by folders.

They had spent several hours going over not just the core monitors, but the magic monitors of all of Snowdin and Waterfall.He couldn’t remember much of Waterfall’s admittedly, that was around the time he fell asleep. After he woke up a few hours later, Alphys was making coffee and he decided to check on Papyrus, finding him gone, so they hadn’t made much progress after that.

Nothing, however, was out of place.Not a single anomaly in the hundreds of files and documents they had scoured.It was a completely isolated incident.

Still exhausted, and only more frustrated, he clenched his hand.This didn’t make any sense.But a soft sensation took him by surprise.A hand had grasped his own, small and gentle, pulling him out of his thoughts.Papyrus stood beside him, smiling like nothing was wrong.It was like seeing stars for the first time, every time.He almost wanted the skeleton to scold him for making a mess in the royal scientist’s lab, call him a lazybones...he couldn’t deny how much he missed his brother already.

They could fix this.

They had to.

_They_ _had to._

**Author's Note:**

> A break indicates change in time or perspective!


End file.
